by Rivi Jacks
That’s an understatement. The whole McNish place is profoundly wrong. “Okay. Tell me,” I respond.
“Jake’s talkin’ to Nick.”
“I know.”
“You’re with him?” he asks.
“Uh-huh.”
“Then I’ll wait till you get here.”
“Okay,” I reply, closing my phone.
I glance at Nick. The truck slows as he pulls into a driveway and stops in front of a pair of large iron gates. Taylor stands in front of them, waiting for us. I glance about, but I can’t see much in the dark. I scoot to the center of the seat as Taylor climbs in the truck.
“This is the old Mitchell place,” I announce, surprised. “What—”
“We’ve got a change of plans,” Nick tells Taylor. Taylor glances at him. “Sofie, I need to take you back home.” He puts the truck in reverse and turns the steering wheel. I reach over and grab it. He looks at me in surprise.
“I’m going with you.”
“No, you are not,” he firmly states.
“You can’t find the McNish place, trust me. They don’t want to be found,” I tell him. “And if you take me home, I’ll just drive my car.” Taylor makes a choked sound. I cast him a quick glance and see his lips twitch.
Nick gives me a disgruntled glare. “We don’t have time to argue about this, Sofie.”
“Then don’t.” I’m still gripping the steering wheel.
Nick sighs deeply. “Jake’s gonna be pissed.”
“It won’t be the first time.”
Taylor makes another sound he covers with a cough. I toss him an unfriendly look.
Nick grudgingly admits he wouldn’t have found the McNish place without me.
“Why would someone want to live this far from town in the boonies?”
“Boonies?” I question. “This is the sticks, and they don’t want to be around people.”
“Well, they don’t need to worry,” Nick grumbles. “This road has holes as deep as my swimming pool. You’d think they’d keep it up for visitors.”
I glance at him. He’s lived here for over a year, and he is still a city boy. Of course, when I was in California, you couldn’t have taken the country girl out of me either. I guess it goes both ways. “They don’t want visitors.”
His gaze slashes to me.
“Are they bad people?” Taylor asks.
I exhale sharply. “Yeah.”
We continue driving down the so-called road, which is little more than two cow paths side by side. The woods have grown up to either side, so brambles and limbs scrape against the sides of the truck in places.
“Damn!” Nick swears as the truck pulls out of a ravine that the road follows.
“Not much farther,” I tell them.
As the truck clears the rise, Nick slams on the brakes.
“What the—” His voice fades as he and Taylor look out the windows.
I’ve seen it before, and my gut still twists. Nick reaches under the seat below my legs and pulls out a high-beam spotlight. He rolls down his window and shines the light.
I keep my head down, eyes on my lap. What they are seeing is embedded in my mind from long ago. As far as the eye can see, from every tree limb and scrub branch, hangs the carcass, or the skeleton, of an animal. All sizes, all types. They even have poles stuck in the ground with the rotting heads of unknown creatures. The sight is gruesome and the smell indescribable.
This is the McNish welcome mat.
Taylor opens the truck door to step out. I lay my hand on his arm and shake my head. “I wouldn’t,” I warn. He glances at Nick. “We need to drive on. The buildings are ahead.” I gesture with my head.
We pull out of the trees into a small clearing and see Jake’s truck and Sawyer’s Jeep parked with another truck I don’t recognize, but no one is around. A squat rock house, made of the kind of rock that’s picked up out of the field, sits before us. The house has only one window, set in the front door, and it’s dirty enough that no light filters through.
I’ve been here before, once in the dead of winter and once in the middle of summer. Both times, the chimney emitted smoke. There’s no smoke this evening. Nick shuts off the engine, and we step out of the truck. The place appears deserted.
“May I?” I ask, reaching for the light. I use it to find the log buildings located not far from the house.
“Walker!” Nick yells, making me flinch. We listen but hear nothing.
I dig my phone from my pocket and text Sawyer. *where r u?* No response. I call Jake’s cell. Same result. I have a real bad feeling.
“Nick, can you... sense anything? Any danger?” I ask softly, not sure if Taylor knows of his ability.
He pulls his coat collar up against the chill. “This place reeks of danger.”
“And death,” Taylor adds before he strides toward the house.
“Sofie, stay in the truck.” Nick opens the door, and without hesitation, I climb in. “Lock the doors and stay here.” He shuts the door and crosses the yard to the back of the house. I’ve never been one to take orders, but this one, I agree with.
Where the hell are Jake and Sawyer?
My eyes finally adjust to the darkness and I can see quite well. I guess the night-vision vegetables I eat do help. This place is downright creepy, and I hate being here. The first time I came here was with Sawyer. I came along to pick up a hunting dog he’d bought from Race McNish. By the time we left, I was pretty sure I never wanted to come back. Race lived with his father and a couple of brothers, and they’d stared at me in a way that made my skin crawl.
The second trip was with Sawyer and Sam on a day hot enough a person could have fried an egg on the hood of Sam’s truck. The stench of decay hung in the air, and the odor stayed in my nose for days after. The displayed carcasses and the prevalence of evil haunted my memory for months. I’d asked Sawyer one time why he came here. He said he didn’t any more than he had to, but he considered Race, who was nothing like his father or brothers, a friend.
When I asked Jake about Sawyer’s friendship with Race, Jake told me Sawyer and Race had history, and to stay the hell away from this place. His words puzzled me, but he got no argument.
Nick disappeared behind the house several minutes ago. I thought I’d get an occasional glimpse of the spotlight by the outbuildings as Nick and Taylor search for Jake and Sawyer, but I don’t. I catch movement out of the corner of my left eye. I focus on that area, but see nothing but an old truck in the trees next to the yard. It must have been one of their dogs. I push on the door locks again in my nervousness. Then I realize—the dogs! The McNish have a slew of dogs, but none barked when we arrived. Not even when we got out of the truck, or now while Nick and Taylor move about. People who live in these hills always have dogs, and people who live like the McNish in particular.
Where are the dogs?
Where are the guys?
I notice movement again, this time by the house. It was a quick glint of something fast. I strain to see through the darkness. Okay, I’ve had enough alone time. Inside the glove compartment, I find nothing but papers. I get up on the seat and lean over the front, feeling around underneath. No gun. Crap! Does Nick even own a gun?
I pull the back of the bench seat forward. I reach up, run my fingers around the light above the back window, and flip the switch. Still no gun. I turn the light off and push the seat back into place. Something bumps the truck. I freeze. I can’t be sure. The bump might have been my imagination. The truck rocks gently with the next bump. Nope, not my imagination.
I face the front with my heart pounding and scan outside the truck. I look toward the other vehicles but see nothing. Jake and Sawyer carry a shotgun and sometimes a hunting rifle in their vehicles. But if they’re checking out whatever is going on, they probably have their shotguns with them.
I hate this place. When are Nick and Taylor coming back? I see movement again. Something moves from the back of the house toward one of the log outbuildings, and it’s moving
fast.
I try to calm my double-quick heartbeat with several deep breaths. I need to stay calm and use good sense. I rub my sweaty palms on my jean-covered thighs.
Whatever it is, could it be sneaking up on Nick and Taylor? Has it already dealt with Jake and Sawyer? My heart pounds. I have to do something and wonder, once again, about the other truck parked behind Jake’s.
My eyes strain through the darkness for any movement. Is something stalking the men? I reach over and push the center of the steering wheel. The horn gives two short blasts.
I sit still and quiet, watching and listening. My teeth chatter from the cold. I’m sure Nick doesn’t realize he’s taken the keys. I think I see movement again by the house, so I turn the headlights on. There is something there! It flattens against the rock wall, near the back.
I’ve had enough. I’m not a wait-and-see kind of girl. I can’t sit here while my family might be in danger. I get up in the seat, pull the back forward again, and grab the box I saw earlier. I say a quick prayer that the box holds old-fashioned road flares, not the new LED kind. Thank you, Jesus. I tuck three of the flares into my back pocket and pull the cap off the end of the fourth one. Once the flare ignites, it’s almost a Roman candle, spewing ignited molten material.
If I’m going to do this, I need to light the flare as soon as I get out of the truck. Then I realize I’ll be as blinded as any threat. Okay, I’ll hold off lighting of the flare unless I’m in imminent danger. I wait, chewing on my bottom lip. What did bump against the truck? Okay, don’t even go there, Reece.
I pull the door handle slowly, pushing the door open just enough to slide out. I let the door rest against the truck instead of closing it fully. I have the flare in one hand and the cap in the other. I’d found a screwdriver in the glove box, and it’s in my coat pocket. I just hope I don’t have to use it. I crouch down beside the truck and take a couple of deep breaths before moving to the unknown truck. I peek in the window, but I don’t see a gun rack. If I open the door, a light might come on, so I’m hesitant to search inside. As I move toward Jake’s truck, I hear noise from the back.
Look out, girl!
I swing around and see a large form advancing toward me. I move to light the flare, but I know I won’t get it done in time. At that same moment, I hear a growl that literally raises the hair on the back of my neck. Something shoots out of the darkness, slamming me back against the truck, and launches itself toward the dark shape bearing down on me. I do what any good, self-respecting girl should do.
I faint.
I come to in the bed of a pickup truck. Someone has placed me on top of a blanket and put another one on top of me. My head is on a folded-up coat or something. I hear voices I recognize nearby and I call for Jake, moving to sit up.
“Whoa! Easy,” Sawyer says as he helps me sit on the tailgate. He sits beside me and I lean against him, grateful for the support.
“You’re found,” I say weakly. “Are you okay?”
“You’re worrying about me when you’re the one who could’ve been hurt?”
Taylor sits on the other side of me. “Do you remember what happened?” he asks gently.
My eyes scan the yard for Jake. “Where are Jake and Nick?”
“They’ll be here in a minute,” Sawyer assures me.
“Why didn’t either of you answer your phones?”
Sawyer frowns and pulls his phone from his pocket. “Jake’s is in his truck and mine—battery’s dead.”
“Sofie, what happened?” Taylor asks again.
I have to think for a moment. What did happen? “Something was out here. I was waiting for you to come back... I needed a gun.” I pause as I remember more. “Where were you?”
“I’m sorry, Sofie. I was trying to get back to you.” He squeezes my hand. “I heard you honk the horn.”
“Taylor found you, Sofie,” Sawyer explains.
I look from Sawyer to Taylor. “Did you see the wolf?” Taylor glances over my head at my cousin. “Whatever was out here came at me. I-I didn’t have time to light the flare. The wolf came out of nowhere and... saved me.” I take a breath, thinking about what has happened. It wasn’t just the wolf, but I’m certainly not going to tell them about the—presence warning me. “I’m such a coward!”
“You’re not a coward,” Taylor says.
“Yes, I am. I fainted.” I feel like a fool.
“Sofie.” Sawyer leans to the side, looking at me. “You got out of the truck when you knew something was out here.”
“You armed yourself with flares and a screwdriver,” Taylor adds.
“If she’d had a gun, she would have used it,” Sawyer tells Taylor.
“I’m going to start carrying a shotgun with me, like you and Jake,” I say. Both of them laugh. “Where is Jake? What’s going on?”
“Let’s get in the Jeep, get some heat goin’, and I’ll tell you what I know,” Sawyer says. As soon as Sawyer fires up the Jeep, Jake and Nick emerge from behind the house. Taylor joins them, and they stand outside the Jeep, talking.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I ask.
Sawyer doesn’t say anything, and then he takes a deep breath. “Race and I had planned to drive into Springfield this afternoon to go to a gun show. Race didn’t show up, so I decided to drive out here and see what was up.” His voice sounds bleak as he stares out the windshield, watching the other three. I watch them too, and it looks as if Taylor and Nick are arguing. “They don’t have a telephone,” Sawyer continues.
I frown. “Who?”
“The McNish. No cell phones either.” He reaches over and turns up the heat. “When I got here… no one.”
“I noticed… no dogs,” I say, looking at him.
“I did too. No dogs, no Race—nothing. They’re gone.” He turns toward me. “I couldn’t get through to Sam, so I called Jake. I waited until he got here, and we set out. We found the dogs’ remains. They’ve been eaten.”
“Oh my gosh!”
“A path behind the house... leads down to the creek. Back up the creek bank, there’s a large cave Race and I used to explore. Something has been inside, left lots of bones and other remains.”
I’m almost afraid to ask. “Bones... of what?”
“For the most part, animals.”
“Most?”
“I think they’re dead, Sofie.”
“What?”
“I think those... monsters killed them and maybe ate them.”
Bile rises in my throat. I take a couple of deep breaths. Opening the Jeep door, I turn sideways in the seat. I feel a little queasy. The others walk over to the Jeep, and Jake takes hold of my hands.
“Are you okay?” he asks. I nod. “You’re sure?”
“I’m okay, Jake.”
He smiles and squeezes my hands. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“What happened, Sofie?”
I tell him, with Nick listening, what I told Sawyer and Taylor, but I’m a little more coherent this time.
Jake turns to Taylor. “Did you see a wolf or anything else?”
“Only Sofie, lying on the ground.” Taylor pins Nick with a glare. Something is going on between them.
“Sofie, you never got a good look at what it was?” Nick asks.
I shake my head. “No. I saw it move, though.” They all look at me. “Fast.”
We decide Nick, Taylor, and I will leave, and when we’ve had enough time to get to the highway, Jake will call the sheriff.
“Remember, you were never here. Don’t tell anyone, Sofie. Don’t talk about this at all. All right?” Jake directs. He doesn’t want me questioned by the sheriff’s department, and Nick and Taylor need to remain unnoticed.
“Okay.” Before we leave, I give Jake and Sawyer both a hug. “They may still be alive, Sawyer.” He gives me his lopsided smile that tugs at my heartstrings. “Call me when you get home,” I tell him.
We drop Taylor off at Nick’s ho
use. Nick’s going to wait with me until Jake gets home. It’s a silent ride. We arrive back at my house a few minutes after nine. I find it hard to believe we left only four hours earlier. It seems as if days have passed.
I leave Nick on the couch while I wash my face, brush my teeth, and change into sweats.
Back in the living room, I sit by Nick on the couch while he watches television. Before long, I’m lying down, dozing, but the dark shadows in my dreams keep disrupting my sleep.
I’m vaguely aware of Jake coming in. I hear him and Nick talking. Jake seems mad, and at one point, I dream I hear Nick apologizing.
I wake early on Monday morning, still on the couch where Jake has covered me with a blanket and let me sleep. He’s already gone, and I hurry with my shower and dress, strangely nervous about being alone.
I arrive at work earlier than needed, but it’ll give me a head start on lunch preparations. Murphy decided not to give me any set hours; he’s leaving it up to me to get things done. Since we’re keeping the regular menu and only adding a daily special, it won’t be too complicated.
For the day’s special, I’m fixing bourbon bean soup with jalapeño cornbread. It’s just the meal for a bunch of hungry Hilljacks on a cold winter’s day.
Emma Rae is already cooking and serving breakfast when I arrive. I sort and clean the beans and, after covering them with water, let them boil in two large pots. After that, I set them aside to soak, chop my vegetables, and gather all the spices I’ll need. We work around each other and have an enjoyable morning. At Murphy’s, we serve up breakfast and roll right into lunch. It makes the day busy, and the time go by quickly.
Murphy bought a blackboard easel for us to write the daily special on. Emma Rae sets the board up early so people eating breakfast, shopping, or buying gas can be enticed back for lunch. We end up running out of the daily lunch special before one o’clock.
Sawyer and Sam come in and eat at noon. I sit with them for a few minutes. The news about the McNish hasn’t hit the gossip mill yet, but I bet by evening the whole town will know. Poor Sawyer is downright shaken. Sam says Jake isn’t much better. I try not to dwell on the previous evening, but I do keep thinking about the wolf. I’m positive it’s the same wolf I saw running across Nick’s driveway the week before.
